| Bioremediation, a procedure that is widely used in the petroleum industry, is being used to clean the petroleum-contaminated soil at a 25-acre abandoned refinery near the town of Lovell, Wyoming. Bioremediation uses microorganisms to break down petroleum wastes into nontoxic end products. Bioremediation is conducted on-site and is less energy-intensive than conventional methods. The Lovell site is in its third year of treatment. Periodic testing is done to ensure that petroleum contamination levels continue to decrease and that the microorganism populations remain healthy and active. Running time is 8 minutes. |